Love in the Afternoon by Lisa Kleypas

Enjoyable end to an excellent series

4 stars

Beatrix Hathaway has always felt more comfortable outside with the animals than in a ballroom crowded with people. Despite that, she still yearns for the kind of love and passion that will sweep her off her feet yet no man has ever taken her breath away or even seriously courted her.

Captain Christopher Phelan is a dashing, handsome soldier who has plans to marry Beatrix’s pretty, flirtatious friend, Prudence, when he returns from fighting in the Crimea. But life on the battlefield has darkened his soul and he fears he is no longer the man he once was. The only light in his life are the regular, witty letters he receives from Pru. So much so that he’s beginning to fall in love with his correspondent. So when he returns from the war, determined to claim the woman he loves, he’s confused as to why he feels nothing for Pru and so much for Beatrix. But who really is his letter writing love and what will he do when he finds out he’s been duped?

This is the last in the Hathaway series of books following Mine Till Midnight, Seduce Me At Sunrise, Tempt Me At Twilight and Married By Morning. As with the other Hathaway books, you could easily read this book as a stand alone but you’re more likely to understand the characters and the history of the family if you’ve read the other books before reading this one.

The first half of this book was an absolute delight. The story was fast paced, exciting with so much tension and potential conflict – I could not put the book down as the story had me hooked. And then it just seemed to peter out. The story slowed as it seemed to shift to a more character driven storyline. It wasn’t bad but after such an exciting start, I couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. The story picked up right before the end and it was nicely concluded which is always a good thing!

I loved both Beatrix and Christopher. Beatrix is such a free spirit and smart too and I really liked and could identify with her. Christopher is a handsome soldier who is haunted by his past and could really do with the love of a good woman making him the perfect partner for Beatrix. The pair had good chemistry and I liked reading about them as a couple. Despite Christopher’s problems in the aftermath of the war, the book never got bogged down in  gory or depressing war detail.

The other Hathaway’s appear in the book, but for a last book in the series, perhaps not as much as I had hoped.

And, surprisingly for Lisa Kleypas, there were a couple of Americanisms that cropped up throughout the book which annoyed me a little as they pull you from the story.

Overall, this is an enjoyable book that despite a few flaws, is still a good read and a really good end to what has been an excellent series. If you’re a fan of Lisa Kleypas, the Hathaway series or just fancy a romantic, Victorian read then I would recommend this book to you. 4 stars.

Married by Morning by Lisa Kleypas

A rich and satisfying romance

5 Stars

Catherine Marks has spent the last few years carefully instructing the Hathaway sisters in the finer points of being a lady. As their paid companion, she really enoys her job and it would be perfect, if not for her charges’ older brother – the thoroughly exasperating Leo Hathaway. The pair bicker like cats and dogs but when one quarrel ends in a kiss, everything changes, especially when Leo makes a dangerous proposition.

Leo must marry and produce an heir within the year or he’ll lose his family home. Despite her respectable demeanour, Catherine hides a secret that could destroy her and take the Hathaway’s with her. But Leo is sure that Cat holds the key to his dilemma and can’t help but find her intriguing and infernally tempting. But with Leo determined never to love again and Cat determined to keep her secrets, will the pair ever see eye to eye and realise that they may be perfect for each other?

This is the fourth book in the Hathaway series (after Mine Till Midnight, Seduce Me at Sunrise, Tempt Me at Twilight and before Love in the Afternoon). While I’m sure you could read this book as a stand alone, I honestly think it’ll make more sense and you’ll understand the characters and their back stories more if you’ve read the rest of the Hathaway series before you read this book.

I love a couple that bicker and have been looking forward to Cat and Leo’s story for some time. While it didn’t completely blow me away, it didn’t disappoint either and I liked the way the pair continued their banter even after their relationship changed into something more.

Both characters were rich, interesting and never descended into stereotypes. With the past history of Leo, it would have been easy to take the story to the obvious conflict but I liked the way that the conflict was a little less obvious and therefore more real. It was also lovely to see the other characters from the previous books with Poppy and Harry taking up most of the cameos.

The writing was excellent, the story kept me hooked and I didn’t want to put the book down. It’s probably not the best Lisa Kleypas I have ever read but I’m still giving this 5 stars as it was so enjoyable that I can’t fault it. I would recommend this to fans of the Hathaways’ or those who like a rich, satisfying romance.

Tempt Me At Twilight by Lisa Kleypas

Enjoyable but not her best

4 stars

Poppy Hathaway is content with her lot in life. She’s got her loving, if slightly eccentric family, and now she’s very nearly engaged to Michael Bayning, a man who she believes she can give her the quiet and ordinary life she craves.

Her plans go up in smoke the moment Harry Rutledge enters her life. Mysterious, powerful and exceedingly wealthy, Harry is unlike anyone Poppy has ever met before. Harry is used to getting his own way and what he wants is Poppy. But he soon realises that having Poppy is nothing if he can’t have her love too.

After Mine Till Midnight and Seduce Me At Sunrise, this is the third book in Kleypas’s series which focuses on the Hathaway family.

I love a dark, brooding hero who is resistant to, but desperately needs the love of a good woman and Harry was certainly that. His demanding and authoritative ways make him a hero that not everyone will love but one that I liked and that I thought was perfect for Poppy. Poppy herself was fresh, fun and a thoroughly likeable heroine.

I did enjoy this book but I just felt it didn’t have the sparkle of Lisa Kleypas’s previous efforts. I could have done with more interactions between Harry and Poppy, more information about Harry’s past and most importantly, more angst before both Harry and Poppy discovered their feelings for each other.

Overall this is still a very readable and thoroughly enjoyable book. I would suggest that you’ve read the first two books in the series before reading this one as there are many recurring characters and situations that will make more sense if the books are read in order. If you like Lisa Kleypas or are simply looking for a good, fun Victorian romance then I would recommend this book to you. 4 stars.

Wallflower Christmas by Lisa Kleypas

Underdeveloped but enjoyable

3 stars

It’s Christmas in London and Hannah Appleton has been given the task of finding out whether the brash American, Rafe Bowman, will be a suitable match for her charge, Lady Natalie. What she finds is a ruggedly sexy, outspoken man with shockingly American ways who irks her in a way no man has before.

In order to gain his inheritance in his father’s company, Rafe Bowman must marry the blue blooded and very proper Lady Natalie. Although pretty and kind, it’s her chaperone Hannah that draws Rafe’s eye. At a house party at Stony Cross Park the Wallflowers play matchmaker with some unexpected consequences that will make it a Christmas to remember.

It pains me to have to only give a Lisa Kleypas book 3 stars but there are a few problems that have stopped this book being nearly as good as her other historical books.

Firstly, I thoroughly enjoyed the Wallflower books and was anticipating hearing about how all the previous characters had progressed. There was a nice little bit about Evie and Sebastian (The Devil in Winter) and another about Lillian and Marcus (It Happened One Autumn) but barely anything about Daisy and Matthew (Scandal in Spring) or Annabel and Simon (Secrets of a Summer Night). This is disappointing as with the book being so short, I feel another couple of sections could easily have been added, making it more the size of a normal romance.

The story of Rafe and Hannah was sweet but slightly underdeveloped. I didn’t feel I ever got to know either character particularly well and I was surprised when the declarations of love came as I honestly thought they were too soon to be believable. There was still lots of excellent romance and good interactions between the pair.

If I’m honest, I don’t really think that this book is worth the high, hardback price. It was a nice diversion and I always enjoy catching up on well-loved characters but overall it did leave me feeling slightly dissatisfied. Unfortunately only 3 stars.

Mine Till Midnight by Lisa Kleypas

Wonderful start to a new series

5 stars

Amelia Hathaway is determined to keep her colourful younger sisters and wastrel elder brother in line – especially since they have recently come into an unexpected title and inheritance. Things are going somewhat to plan until a chance encounter with half-gypsy Cam Rohan in London.

When the pair meet again in Hampshire, neither can deny the sparks that fly but getting involved would be disastrous for both of them. But sometimes fate has other things in mind and as Amelia battles with a multitude of problems – it’s her feelings for Cam that seem to be the biggest problem of all.

This is the start of a new series of regency set romances presumably focussing on the Hathaway family. As well as that, this book nicely ties into the Wallflower series of books with a story for Cam Rohan – the manager from Jenner’s gaming club which appeared in many of those books.

This story was typical Lisa Kleypas with deep, meaningful emotions, hot sex scenes and love that conquers all. Cam was wonderful as the hero – strong and arrogant yet also mysterious and tender. And Amelia was a perfect heroine for him – determined to make sure her family were cared for and just as determined not to lean on anyone. The chemistry leapt off the page between the pair. The secondary characters were also well described and I am looking forward to reading their books in the future. And it was lovely to see Lillian and Marcus (from It Happened One Autumn) making an appearance.

As this was part of a series – there were plenty of things that were left hanging such as Cam’s mysterious tattoo, the relationship between sister Win and the servant Merripen etc. But I really can’t complain as they weren’t integral to this particular book’s plot and it just makes me excited for the next book in the series.

If you’re a fan of Lisa Kleypas or if you like your romances well-written with plenty of heat and emotion then I’m sure you will enjoy this book. An excellent read and definitely worth 5 stars.